I’m easily distracted. Don’t get me wrong, I love my work and I love being busy but when a family of eleven goslings appear near your flat every day during lockdown productivity goes out the window.

The ability to travel is paramount to my art practice. Most of my art is created from my original photographs so I’m always out and about in search of new views and new angles of my favourite buildings for new work.

So when I found myself in lockdown and only outside allowed once a day by the prison warden my daily walks and bike rides became even more important than usual. From a mental health point of view they were vital to clear my head and keep me connected with the outside world. They were the only time I could venture out to look for artistic inspiration too.

My lockdown walks taught me some valuable lessons - slow down and look more closely at the world around me, and sometimes right in front of me.

A family of geese appeared outside my flat at the same time every day during lockdown. Perhaps they felt safer in lockdown with the absence of humans. Maybe this lulled them into a false sense of security as this enounter showed. I had a front row seat to my very own David Attenborough programme as this young fox sniffed its own tasty dinner as they family stopped off for tea.

The crafy fox spent a few minutes recceing the scene, searching for the best angle of attack. As you’ll see from the video Mamma and Papa Goose were having none of it, trying every tactic in the self-defence handbook as they desperately defended their young family. Spoiler alert: the geese emerged as victors forcing the fox to scurry off with his fluffy tail between his legs.

baby geese together.jpg — The defeat of the fox allowed me to watch the cutest of familes grow up together over the next few lockdown weeks. They sunbathed, ate, ate and ate a bit more, stared a the ocean before them, cuddled together to listen to bedtime stories (well they might have been) and slept on Mamma’s back (see images below).

Occasionally the kids went feral as games of kiss/chase got out of hand. Mamma and Papa Goose were not amused.

But the kids were quickly brought back into line - literally. And the next day they were back in perfect formation.

My fluffy friends have kept me entertained in lockdown. Every day a heron stood at the same spot, wishing the afternoon away by staring into the side of a boat. Hyde Park was a treat too, brimming with classy white swans ruffling their feathers and taking off like planes on the watery runway. And I spotted my first ever Black Swan.

While I was in captiiviy nature really did provide me with the perfect pick-me-up.

You can see more of my lockdown photographs in my …. and … blog, and on my instagram page @michaelwallner_art.